The field of the invention relates generally to magnetic components for circuit boards and related manufacturing methods, and more specifically to surface mount magnetic components such as power inductors having shaped magnetic cores and conductive windings exposed on the side walls and on the bottom of the magnetic cores.
Power inductors are used in power supply management applications and power management circuitry on circuit boards for powering a host of electronic devices, including but not necessarily limited to hand held electronic devices. Power inductors are designed to induce magnetic fields via current flowing through one or more conductive windings, and store energy via the generation of magnetic fields in magnetic cores associated with the windings. Power inductors also return the stored energy to the associated electrical circuit as the current through the winding falls and may provide regulated power from rapidly switching power supplies.
In order to meet increasing demand for electronic devices, especially hand held devices, each generation of electronic devices needs to be not only smaller, but offer increased functional features and capabilities. As a result, the electronic devices tend to be increasingly powerful devices in smaller and smaller physical packages. Meeting increased power demands of ever more powerful electronic devices while continuing to reduce the size of circuit boards and components such as power inductors that are already quite small, has proven challenging, however.